Picking up after others

Volunteers comb through land near highway in Aberdeen, leaving it pristine

Volunteers comb through land near highway in Aberdeen, leaving it pristine

April 25, 2008|By Elissa Dickey, edickey@aberdeennews.com

Cassandra Berglund will have a much better view while driving to work this morning. “It's going to be all nice and clean,” said Berglund, 20, who works at Aberdeen's Target. And she has herself to thank for it - along with dozens of other volunteers. About 30 people braved Thursday's drizzly, windy weather to clean up ditches on both sides of U.S. Highway 12 along the east edge of Aberdeen, from econofoods, past Target, all the way to Butler Machinery just east of town. The volunteers came from businesses and organizations, including event sponsor Target, the United Way, Northern State University, Volunteers of America and Aberdeen Area Senior Center, said Target manager Stacy Bauer. Individuals also helped, including Mayor Mike Levsen, Bauer said. Target adopted that stretch of highway when the store opened in 1993, Bauer said. Target cleans the section four times a year, she said, and cleans the part between econofoods and Target every other month, except during the winter. “This is a stretch that is an eyesore,” Bauer said. Thursday's event included stops along the route offering food and prizes, Bauer said. A grill-out was held afterward, though she said people ate inside. Conditions weren't ideal, but they didn't stop the volunteers. Bauer said it would have to be worse for the cleanup to be canceled. “We've been in the snow before,” she said. This was the first ditch cleanup for Berglund, of Aberdeen, who has worked at Target for two years. She said she was finding things like pop bottles and cans, beer bottles, Styrofoam and candy wrappers. Berglund said she tries to be environmentally friendly. “I recycle,” she said. “I do my part.” So does Pavla Romova, 22, an exchange student at NSU from the Czech Republic. Romova, who was helping out on her own, said she was finding too many plastic bags. “It's not good for our environment,” she said. Although Romova said she likes to volunteer, she did say it was “too windy and cold” - especially since she had ridden her bike. But she wasn't too concerned. “I like adventure,” Romova said, smiling.